Flap opener



Dec. 2, 1969 E. J. ISERMAN 3,

' FLAP OPENER Filed Oct. 23, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 5- J. ISERMAN Dec. 2, 1969 FLAP OPENER 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 mm n 1 O F 0 pbwavlp. .10 O O 6 O C O O O I E. J. ISERMAN FLAP OPENER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 25, 1968 m HWHMMMWWWHHM H...

- ...Q...-GO.-..

9w Q- i. JD... v Q Q- C Q Ii 0 u n u Q n Q lL 1- MN United States Patent Office 3,481 ,097 Patented Dec. 2, 1969 3,481,097 FLAP OPENER Ernest J. Iserman, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Molsen Industries Limited-les Industries, Molse Limitt, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed Oct. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 769,958 Claims priority, applicaztioglganada, Sept. 10, 1968,

Int. Cl.-B 65b 45/00 US. Cl. 53-3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to machines for opening containers which contain a plurality of articles, for example, bottles, cans or packets. The containers with which this invention is concerned are those which include a pair of flaps extending from the upper edges of opposite side walls of the main body of the container and bent over to cover the top of the main body, the flaps being secured in the bent-over position in some convenient manner. For example, the flaps may overlap or they may have abutting edges in frictional engagement.

Known machines for opening such containers include a plow which, when the container is conveyed into engagement therewith, enters a gap between the upper edge of an end wall of the container and the flaps. Continued movement of the container then causes the plow to lift the flaps upwardly and thereby open the container. However, with many containers, there is little or no gap for the plow to enter, and thus the plow is likely to pass over the top of the flaps, thereby failing to open the container.

Some machines have included guides adjacent to the plow which engage the side walls of the container, just before it engages the plow, and bow the side walls inwardly with the result that the flaps are forced upwardly by a small amount relative to the side walls to form or increase the gap between the flaps and the upper edge of the end wall of the container. This is not a satisfactory solution to the problem since, if the container is tightly packed with articles, the side walls cannot be inwardly bowed. Also, the construction of some containers is such that inward bowing of the side walls does not cause the production of a sufiicient gap. Further, the side walls may be too rigid to permit sufficient inward bowing.

Many containers have a bottom which is sufliciently flexible to enable the bottom to be inwardly bowed. According to the invention, the bottom of such a container is inwardly bowed to cause at least some of the articles in the container to be pushed upwardly to such an extent that the articles engage the flaps and move them upwardly to form or increase the gap between the upper edge of an end wall of the container and the flaps, thereby facilitating the entry of the plow.

Thus, rigidity of the side walls or tight packing of the articles is not a disadvantage, provided of course that the articles are not packed so tightly as to prevent the upward movement of the articles.

In accordance with the invention, a container-opening machine includes a projection lying in the path of the bottom of the container as the container approaches the plow. The projection is preferably resiliently mounted so as to resiliently engage the bottom of the container. The machine may also include guides which engage the upper edges of the side walls of the container while the projection is inwardly bowing the bottom of the container, and which thereby prevents upward movement of the side walls. The guides preferably engage only the outer portions of the upper edges of the side walls so as to leave room for upward movement of the flaps.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which,

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side view, partly in section, of a container-opening machine, showing a container approaching the guides,

FIGURE 2 shows the container engaging the guides and about to engage the projection,

FIGURE 3 shows the container engaging the guides and the projection, and approaching the plow,

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 5 shows the opened container disengaged from the guides and the projection, and about to become disengaged from the plow.

Referring to the drawings, a container-opening machine includes a horizontal roller conveyor 1 including a frame 2 and rollers 3. The frame 2 carries the rollers 3 and also extends upwardly above the rollers 3 to form two side walls 4. Over part of the length of the conveyor 1, the sidewalls are increased in height by side wall portions 4a secured to the top of the side walls 4.

Roller guides 5 are secured to the top of the side walls 4a, each guide 5 including a roller 6 rotatably mounted on a shaft 7 secured to the respective side wall 4a. Each shaft 7 extends from the side wall 4a in an inwardly inclined manner. There are three guides 5 spaced along the conveyor 1 on each side thereof.

At a position along the conveyor 1 approximately level with the central guides 5, a resiliently mounted projection 8 projects upwardly above the rollers 3. The projection 8 is a roller rotatably carried by an arm 9 pivotally secured to a lug 10, the lug 10 being secured to the frame 2. A spring 11 connected between the arm 9 and another lug 12 secured to the frame 2 resiliently urges the roller 8 to its projecting position.

A plow 13 is carried by a post 14 secured to the frame 1 at a position beyond the guides 5. The plow 13 extends towards the guides 5 and is inclined downwardly. The free end 15 of the plow 13 terminates a short distance from the guides 5. The plow 13 is secured to the post 14 by screws 16 which enable the height of the plow 13 above the conveyor 1 to be adjusted.

The container 17 for which this machine is designed has a rectangular section both vertically and horizontally. It is made of cardboard and main be reinforced at each vertical corner by a strip of wood 18. The main body 19 of the container includes a bottom 20, side walls 21 and end walls 22. A pair of flaps 23 extend from the upper edges of the side walls 21, and the free edges of the flaps 23 have downwardly extending portions 24 which abut one another when the flaps 23 are in the closed position and are retained in the closed position by frictional engagement with one another. In this embodiment, the container 17 contains twenty-four bottles 25, there being four transverse rows each containing six bottles.

To open a container 17 it is positioned on the lefthand portion of the conveyor 1 (FIGURE 1) and pushed to the right in the direction shown by arrow A. As the container 17 travels along the conveyor 1, it engages the first pair of roller guides 5 (FIGURE 2). The rollers 6 engage the outer portions of the upper edges of side walls 21 and hold the side walls 21 firmly down in engagement with the rollers 3. The leading end wall 22 of the container 17 then engages the projecting roller 8 and passes over the roller 8 by deflecting it downwardly. During further travel of the container 17 along the conveyor 1, the guides 5 hold the side walls 21 down on the rollers 3, and the projecting roller 8 engages the bottom of the container 17 and bows it inwardly (FIGURES 3 and 4). The bottles are forced upwardly by the bottom 20 of the container 17, and some of the bottles 25 engages the flaps 23 and force them upwardly to produce an appreciable gap between the fiaps 23 and the upper edge of the leading end wall 22. Because the roller guides 6 are inclined, they engage only the outer portions of the upper edges of the side walls 21, and leave room for the flaps 23 to move upwardly. The container 17 then reaches the plow 23, which enters the gap and completely opens the flaps 23 (FIGURE 5).

I claim:

1. A container-opening machine for opening a container containing a plurality of articles and having a main body with a flexible bottom and closed by a pair of flaps extending from the upper edges of opposed side walls of the main body, said machine including a conveyor for conveying the container along a predetermined path, a projection projecting upwardly from the conveyor into the path of the container to engage the bottom of the container as the container travels along said path, thereby inwardly bowing the bottom of the container to cause upward movement of at least some of the articles into engagement with the flaps to cause upward movement of the fiaps and production of a gap between the flaps and the upper edge of the leading end wall of the container, a plow positioned for entry into said gap to open the flaps as the container continues to travel along said path and guide means to limit upward movement of the container while passing over said projection.

2. A container-opening machine according to claim 1 wherein said guide means is positioned to engage the upper edges of the side walls of the container and hold the side walls in engagement with the conveyor while the projection is engaging the bottom of the container.

3. A container-opening machine according to claim 2 wherein the guide means is positioned to engage only the outer portions of said upper edges of the side walls.

4. A container-opening machine according to claim 2 wherein the guide means includes a rotatably-mounted roller engageable with the upper edge of the side wall of the container.

5. A container-opening machine according to claim 1 wherein the projection is resiliently urged to its projecting position.

6. A container-opening machine according to claim 1 wherein the projection includes a rotatably-mounted roller projecting upwardly from the conveyor into the path of the container.

7. A method of opening a container containing a plurality of articles and having a main body with a flexible bottom enclosed by a pair of flaps extending from the upper edges of opposed side walls of the main body, including conveying the container along a predetermined path, positioning a projection in the path of the container to cause the projection to engage the bottom of the container as the container travels along said path, thereby inwardly bowing the bottom of the container to cause upward movement of at least some of the articles into engagement with the flaps to cause upward movement of the flaps and production of a gap between the flaps and the upper edge of the leading end wall of the container, positioning a plow to cause entry of the plow into said gap to open the flaps as the container continues to travel along said path and limiting the upward movement of said container as it passes over said projection.

8. A method of opening the container according to claim 7 wherein said limiting step is effected by positioning guides to engage the upper edges of the side walls of the container and hold the side walls in engagement with the conveyor while the projection is engaging the bottom of the container.

9. A method of opening a container according to claim 8 including positioning the guides to engage only the outer portions of said upper edges of the side walls.

10. A method of opening a container according to claim 7, including resiliently urging the projection to its projection position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,068,622 12/1962 Brownlee 53-381 X THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner NEIL ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 53382 (2;;3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,481,097 Dated December 2, 1969 Inventot(s) E. J. Iserman It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Assignee should appear as:

Molson Industries Limited Les Industries Molson Limite SIGNED RND SEALED JUN 1 6 I970 (SEAL) Atteat:

Edwardumh in mm: B BGEUILER, JR- A Commissioner of Patents 

